Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Hundreds of Thousands. That is how many manufacturers will be affected by the new CPSIA lead testing law. I realize I am beating a dead horse here, but the fact is that MOST of the vendors here at MiniMe BabyGear will be out of business.

I have a eight month old. I do not want him to put lead in his mouth, but almost everything he puts in his mouth (magazines, cables attaching the DVD player, holiday tins) is exempt from testing. The things that are mandated to be tested--ie. ANYTHING that is manufactured for babies, most of which never contained led in the first place, will have to be. COST per item: around $4,000. Some of them retail for $8.50. So, they will have to sell 1000 to just break even for the testing, nevermind other supplies. Talk about the price of children's products going up. It will have to.

Now, I do not know about you, but it makes a lot more sense to me to have ONE test for lead, and if the product contains lead naturally be required for further testing. But, our government does not work like that. They put ridiculous laws in place that require people that handmake felt food used by 7 year olds (can you just imagine a small pea from a felt food set with a giant label on it? CUTE.) to spend $4000 for ONE test for that ONE item. No wonder our economy is in the tank. With these people running it and making the law for the land, we are all in trouble.

Here is how you can help: let's get this changed. Lead testing is important. I am not even opposed to having the materials tested. However, the way this law is read, that every batch and every size will have to be tested is too far reaching. SO many people will be affected- the manufacturers themselves, the stores that sell them, the high schools that use craft shows to raise money, the people that supply fabrics for the items, the companies that supply office supplies to mail the items, the employees that help these moms and small businesses....it is never ending.

Isn't it a SAD day when making a handmade doll carries a HARSHER punishment than supplying CRACK COCAINE to a child?

I have had a number of people ask if they could sign a petition, or write their congressman, or if there was any way to help with this new CPSIA legislation. I thought it would be important to repost some of the various ways you could help. Thank you for helping. I just fear that by the time this is all sorted out, many of us will be out of business!

Here's what you can do to help.1. Start by telling everyone you know…discuss at school and playgroup.2. Vote for amending the law on Change.org. With enough votes it will be presented to President Obama in January!3. Find your congress person and senators and write a letter like the sample here.4. Sign this petition, to be submitted to the CPSC.5. Check out these additional resources: Facebook -Help Save Handmade Toys from the CPSIA and Handmade Toy Alliance

Sunday, December 28, 2008

This year ushered my sweet little guy, Bryce Xavier, into the Bird household (April 2008). Content to sit and watch his big brother, he has brought so much joy to our family. Along with every other mother, I was concerned that there was no way I could possibly love him as much as Kayden... but I do! Suffice to say, I am completely in love with both of them.

Highlights of the year in business:

Going into 330 Target stores, and having the Wet Happened? bag exceed expectations. Some days I still cannot believe I am actually a Target vendor. Wild.

The December Pregnancy and Newborn article.

Finding a reliable manufacturer (this one makes me more thankful than you could ever know!)

Adding some really great new products. Most of the vendors at MiniMe BabyGear I count as friends as well, and I love talking with them and finding ways to help each other grow. It is one of the best parts of my job, honestly.

One of the things I feel passionate about is giving back to the community in which you live, and I am so grateful that this year, I was able to give so many Princess robes to Devos Children's hospital. I am sure some little girl is delighted to be prancing around in her new boa robe.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this such a great year and all your support. I am fortunate that I get to work from home and be a part of my kids lives. Thank you for allowing me to do what I love!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Last September, I was sewing in my basement, which also served as my office, warehouse, shipping center, and business storage space. I was just grabbing my thread to start sewing a new batch of wet bags for next day shipment when my phone started ringing. This was my personal number, not the business line, so I did not answer but listened to the message being left. It was a big box store, calling because they wanted to test the Wet happened? wet bag. They wanted me to fly out to corporate headquarters and find out more information about the process.

At first I thought it was a joke, at the very least a scam. I mean, what small business gets a phone call from such a large corporation? Feeling very overwhelmed, I immediately called my good friend Marina Westerdahl. She told me I would be crazy not to go; a week later I was on a plane. I will never forget the feeling of dread upon landing. My stomach hurt, and as I was trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill any minute I thought, “What in the world am I doing?” I was still sewing out of my basement. My first professional manufacturing run was in the process, but I did not have the first clue about outsourcing the labor of my wet bags, never mind dealing with large quantities or electronic ordering. The samples I brought with me were handmade and lacked the sleek packaging of many of the other brands out there. Yet, they still committed to trying it out.

Each step of the way has been a stumbling block. I had no experience dealing with EDI, import brokers, warehousing goods, etc. It may sound cliché, but remembering to take one small step at a time has helped me get through this process. To look at the whole picture almost gave me panic attacks (and still does). Only now can I look back at how I transformed my business from sewing in my basement to dealing on a larger scale and national platform.

A few terms of interest:EDI- stands for “Electronic Data Interchange”. It is the electronic system of communication between businesses. Purchase orders, confirmation that the POs were received, and invoicing are just a few of the things done through EDI.Pick and Pack-the warehouse picking out the products that will be shippedDistribution Center- big box stores move product into a distribution center before shipping it to the actual storeImport Broker- if you are manufacturing overseas, it is the person responsible for clearing your goods through customs and getting them shipped to your warehouseInsurance-some require certain insurance protection, between $2 and $5 million is standard.

When I heard 200 stores, it seemed easy since I already sold to 50. I mean, how hard could it be to add a few more? Little did I realize that big box is completely different than dealing with boutiques or online e-tailers. For example: if I am out of a certain stock position, I backorder and ship when it becomes available. Big Box lacks that flexibility. Shipping timelines are tight and orders need to be filled on time and be complete. I never realized this before, but big box retailers actually charge you back in those circumstances. I have a good friend that shipped an entire line of calendars three days late. She was charged more for the error than she made on the item.

Manufacturing was my first big challenge. How do I find a reliable company to produce the goods? I asked friends and other businesswomen and had samples made at seven various places. Each one did not work for some reason- either the cost of the item was higher than I wanted to pay, or the sample was poor quality. After many prayers, I feel blessed that I ended up finding a sourcing company in the States that works with a manufacturer in Hong Kong. They guided me through the entire process of manufacturing to create an item that is shelf worthy.Next was the product packaging. How could I grab the attention of customers with so many other great products on the shelf? They need to know what my item is and what it is used for immediately. I believe the time I was quoted was three seconds. I hired a graphic designer and she came up with a beautiful new design that I feel represents the product and explains what it is. This, too, had “inexperience bumps”. Testing out how large the band should be to fit securely around my product, what colors to use, where the various nuggets of information should be placed presented more challenges. Paying a designer by the hour, each change I made cost more money.

Fulfilling out of my basement was no longer a workable solution. Finding a warehouse that would deal with a small to medium size company without my getting lost in the shuffle was important to me. I needed someone that would help me understand the process and also keep me informed without having to track them down constantly. I simply do not have the time to micromanage. Finding a great warehouse took a lot of time and energy, but I am so grateful I found a reliable one with great customer service. It makes a difference.

The goods are made, the warehouse is set up. How do I get them from China? I needed an import broker. Long story short, I needed a small amount of Wet Happened? bags sent to me via airfreight very quickly so I needed to choose one. Clearing customs in one to two days was crucial to making my ship date. A good import broker will not only help clear customs, but also find the best percentage paid in terms of duties. Many import brokers I talked to were so vague about fees, bundling them up so they were hard to compare. Once I found someone that listed the fees upfront, and was willing to explain each charge and timeline, I knew I was dealing with a reputable agent.

As a recap, this is the process thus far:Finalizing the product, what I want it to look likePO for manufacturing the Wet Happened? wet bags initiated by meManufacturer makes the goodsImport Broker gets goods into the states and overnights them to my warehousePO sent to me from big box via EDIWarehouse receives packing lists from EDI and sends RTS (ready to ship) notice that my goods are ready for pick upGoods are picked up from the warehouseAdvanced shipping notices are sent that the goods are on the wayGoods arrive at distribution centers, and then they are shipped out to each individual storeI have not even mentioned trademarking my name, coming up with the funding for 9000 pieces, buying barcodes, forming an LLC, setting up with an EDI provider, and getting business insurance. I always viewed (and still do!) myself as a mom working from the basement, so I never did the things I should have done initially to protect myself. Scrambling to get this all accomplished made the costs and stress level a bit higher that business owners that already have this in place. Where to begin was sometimes the hardest part. Not even knowing what to ask for, or where to go, presented a unique challenge many days. Just when all hope was lost, I would usually find someone that knew something about the situation at hand. Ask enough people, and someone eventually will know.

Finally, the inner struggle. One of my retailers made a really great point when I was approached to do this. For my retailers, this is not a win-win situation. Once a product goes into big box, many times it loses marketability for online boutiques. I really struggled with what would happen to all the retailers with whom I had a relationship. After all, they helped me grow my business. I still am not really sure if it will hurt sales, but it is safe to say it was a big concern for me going forward with this.

It is hard to touch on everything involved, so this is just a brief overview of the journey I took. It seems like every step of the way got more involved and more complicated. Ultimately, it is easier to sell high volumes in this capacity, but it does take some work to get it all set up.While mine is certainly not the only way to experience this process, know that if I can do it so can you! One step at a time will help get you through the maze of trying to set your business up to sell big box.

Friday, December 12, 2008

I had the honor of having News Channel 3 come to discuss the new lead testing laws. Please click this link:

So, what can you do?

E-mail your rep. The entire form is filled out, all you have to do is enter your name and where you are from.

Can you even image life without all the delicious children's finds? I think of the cuddlebug carried here, the Cara's Creation diaper bag that I love and get complimetns on everywhere I go, the adorable handmade truck chiseled for my son that I bought at a craft fair last year, the beautiful clothing handcrafted by KBellaBambino....it is just a shame.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

They say the best entrepreneurs are people that found a way to solve an existing problem and found a solution to it.

I guess under that theory, I wanted to make the diaper bag clean of wet messes.

I digress.

Anyway, it got me thinking. What are the things that I think need better solutions?

Annoyance #1

I go to the grocery store every week. Nare a week goes by that I do not get overcharged.

Sure, it might be a dollar here, or a dollar there...over the year, it has to be hundreds of dollars.There has to be a way to set up some sort of business were I can enter the receipt number and get my money directly back to me without waiting in line. Not that I minded "the line" before kids, but now with the seventeen people in front of me, two kids (that have already spent two hours at the grocery store and are now full of pink sticky frosting), and one lone customer service agent trying to fill out a Western Union Money Request...it gets a little long.

My point is that most of the time I decide it is not worth the extra few dollars and make my way home. Or rather, shall I say, load two screaming kids into the car while trying to hang onto my shopping cart in negative ten degree weather?

I would love a way to do this from my trust computer, at home, when the boys are in bed.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Well, our government has done it again. Let me explain.

When I was in seventh grade, I had this young (read: recently graduated) always-frazzled-from-head-to-toe woman who taught Science. Ill prepared for the job; I think she meant well, but she had very little control over our class.

Each day was spent trying to recapture frogs that had been free'd, sopping up chemicals from experiments that when awry, and yelling at us. Being that we were in seventh grade-- the more frazzled she got, the funnier we all thought it was.

One afternoon, I remember having to go out to the football field to set off a rocket. I cannot even recall what the science lesson was, but I do remember two boys rough housing and one of them breaking his arm.

What followed in the coming weeks always consisted of the same: start class with yelling, load on the homework, yell a little more, make sure NONE of us were enjoying learning at all, yelling, and dismissal. No lie, one of my classmates got arrested because he hated her so much he pulled out a knife on her. It was a mess. Obviously, I am remembering this through seventh grade goggles, but still.

Punish ALL for the sins of a few.

I have a point, I promise.

Enter: CPSIA

Our government, with all it's efficiency, has decided that EVERY children's product manufacturer needs to have testing done for lead. Diaper bags, hats, car seats, changing pad covers, furniture, shoes....the law is so far reaching that basically anything manufactured for children under 12 is subject.

Now, I completely understand the importance of testing for things that, oh, actually go into the child's mouth or that naturally are known to contain lead. However, trying to test each and every item, especially when it is like a wet bag. Seriously? Are you going to let your child suck on anything that normally contains dirty diapers? Sigh.

Oh, but wait. That is not all, friends. Just to make sure none of us even think of keeping our jobs, the government has decided that in addition to expensive independent testing, each size and SKU needs to be tested. So, if I have 22 styles, and 2 of each size....you guessed it. All 44 products need testing. And the fabric that cleared for lead in the wet bags would not clear for the breastfeeding buddys, so that would have to be tested again. 12 additional tests to pay for. We are already up to over 60 tests. Let's say something does not pass..you got it, more testing. I am sure all the people actually needing their products tested for lead are large enough that they will find some way to bypass this, leaving a huge burden on those of us with small businesses/families to support.

The punishment for non-compliance? Huge fines, even jail time.

As with most things, our government makes no sense whatsoever. In a fledgling economy, let's take away HUGE amounts of jobs created by children's manufacturing.

If you get a minute and would not mind signing this petition, please go here:

Sunday, November 30, 2008

This month, I feel blessed and completly honored. Lacey Major wrote this incredible article(below) for the December issue. It is surely my biggest press yet, and I would love for you to check it out if you get a chance.

Please excuse the quality. My scanner does not do well with a half open top, and I did not want to cut the article out yet since this was the only copy the store had. I am going to rescan soon, and will replace at that time.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Here are a few pictures from the baby shower for Alison Sweeney. She is a soap-opera star, and host of The Biggest Loser. Hot Moms Club threw her a fabulous baby shower, and invited MiniMe BabyGear to send along a gift.

We sent the Ritzy Sitzy shopping cart cover, which was her favorite. In fact, she only kept a few items, and this was one of them! The other items were generously sent to St. Jude's hospital.*As a side note: I also have one of these, and you will love just how plush and luxe this item is.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Christmas is coming, are you ready?

MiniMe BabyGear is all about gifting. Everything from soft and luxurious baby blankets for baby to hand designed, personalized neckalces for mom is available at MiniMe BabyGear. I have selected a few of my favorite gifts under the great gifting items category.

Please put NOV08 in the check out notes, and I will send you a voucher for $1o, good on your next purchase. Now through Thanksgiving.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

I can hardly believe it is almost time for Christmas. Doing my photo shoot today for the website, Kayden jumped in...

We also got this picture with the bags to show size. My original vision included both boys, but after the first ten minutes trying to get them to sit still next to each other, I knew I needed to change direction.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Sunday, October 26, 2008

My friend Resa tagged me. She is the fabulous designer of so many of my favorite products. The big brother tees, changing pads, onesie sets. Her eye for fabric and clean lines inspire me.

Let's see. Seven things about myself that no one knows. Since I have another blog, this is hard! Over two years of blogging has left little unsaid, but here goes:

1. I really, really love to sew. The creating, picking out of fabrics, designing new items...all of that was why I got into this in the first place. I just wish I had more time to do it!2. My eyesight is horrible. As in, negative 8.5. Without some sort of corrective lens, I can barely see my house.3. I get myself in a lot of predicaments I shouldn't because I cannot say no! I am a big pushover.4. My husband and I have non-traditional gender roles. I fix things when they break, pay all the bills, hang pictures, and he does the laundry. We share most other household chores, but in many ways, we are backwards when it comes to gender roles.5. I went to GVSU with a degree in political science. What was that for? :-)6. I seriously hate anything artificially orange. I love oranges, but anything artificial....pass!7. I love to be in the hospital after I have babies. AFTER, I remind you. The quietness of the room once the visitors have left, the newness of baby, looking over tiny fingers and toes that I waited nine long months to see, finally being able to lay down flat on my back...it just seems like time stands still while there. I love it.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Thursday, October 9, 2008

I think every woman I know is asking right now, "What in the world is going on with the US stock market?" Basically, many analysts and commentators blame a huge part of it on the deregulation proposed under Alan Greenspan. So, what does that mean, exactly?

A hedge is an investment that is taken out specifically to reduce or cancel out the risk in another investment. When I worked at Morgan Stanley, something not entirely uncommon to do is "short sell" stocks, meaning that you actually sell them at the price they are at that day, counting on the fact that the stock is going down in the future. Once they do go down, you purchase them lower and make money based on that difference. You are counting on a falling price. It is obviously different than the traditional buy low {hold}, sell high mentality. Stay with me here, people. I have a point, I promise.

Now, many people think selling short is pretty risky. So, how do you reduce the risk? You hedge it. I found this illustration on WIKI:

A stock trader believes that the stock price of Company A will rise over the next month, due to the company's new and efficient method of producing widgets. He wants to buy Company A shares to profit from their expected price increase. But Company A is part of the highly volatile widget industry. If the trader simply bought the shares based on his belief that the Company A shares were underpriced, the trade would be a speculation.

Since the trader is interested in the company, rather than the industry, he wants to hedge out the industry risk by short selling an equal value (number of shares × price) of the shares of Company A's direct competitor, Company B. If the trader was able to short sell an asset whose price had a mathematically defined relation with Company A's stock price (for example a call option on Company A shares) the trade might be essentially riskless and be called an arbitrage. But since some risk remains in the trade, it is said to be "hedged."

The first day the trader's portfolio is:Long 1000 shares of Company A at $1 eachShort 500 shares of Company B at $2 each(Notice that the trader has sold short the same value of shares.)

On the second day, a favorable news story about the widgets industry is published and the value of all widgets stock goes up. Company A, however, because it is a stronger company, goes up by 10%, while Company B goes up by just 5%:

Long 1000 shares of Company A at $1.10 each – $100 gainShort 500 shares of Company B at $2.10 each – $50 loss(In a short position, the investor loses money when the price goes up.)

The trader might regret the hedge on day two, since it reduced the profits on the Company A position. But on the third day, an unfavorable news story is published about the health effects of widgets, and all widgets stocks crash – 50% is wiped off the value of the widgets industry in the course of a few hours. Nevertheless, since Company A is the better company, it suffers less than Company B:

Without the hedge, the trader would have lost $450. But the hedge - the short sale of Company B - gives a profit of $475, for a net profit of $25 during a dramatic market collapse.

For years, Alan Greenspan has been the driving force behind NOT regulating companies that took out far more debt than they should have.

From the article The Reckoning,"On a grander scale, such contracts allow financial services firms and corporations to take more complex risks that they might otherwise avoid — for example, issuing more mortgages or corporate debt. And the contracts can be traded, further limiting risk but also increasing the number of parties exposed if problems occur.

Throughout the 1990s, some argued that derivatives had become so vast, intertwined and inscrutable that they required federal oversight to protect the financial system. In meetings with federal officials, celebrated appearances on Capitol Hill and heavily attended speeches, Mr. Greenspan banked on the good will of Wall Street to self-regulate as he fended off restrictions. "

Greenspan was the driving force behind keeping the government, or really any regulatory agency, from doing anything about it. Now, I remember the Clinton years well. The prosperity, the surplus, the little blue dress. Oh, wait. That is something else. I digress. Anyway, Alan Greenspan was touted as a genius during these times because all this hedging was leading to a BOOMING market. And us Americans...we love a booming market.

Well, turns out that the Wall Street Fat cats Greenspan was betting on not only did not have good will, they had horrible ethics. As said by Alan Greenspan: "The villains, he wrote, were the bankers whose self-interest he had once bet upon" Giving out mortgages to people that could very obviously not pay them back and offsetting the risk through hedge funding is leading to this meltdown of the US market.

“The sudden failure or abrupt withdrawal from trading of any of these large U.S. dealers could cause liquidity problems in the markets and could also pose risks to others, including federally insured banks and the financial system as a whole,” Charles A. Bowsher, head of the accounting office, said when he testified before Mr. Markey’s committee in 1994. “In some cases intervention has and could result in a financial bailout paid for or guaranteed by taxpayers.”

I have two main thoughts:

One: the dow, off its high last year at almost this same time, has fallen 40%. 14000 to 8000 in a matter of 12 months. That is concerning.

Two: I saw broker after broker repeatedly put clients into funds for an entry into a vacation getaway or Lakers tickets. With the financial boom of the 90's, it was not a big deal. Now, all these clients are scratching their heads because they wonder where their 401K went. How could ONE fund be the perfect solution for EVERY client. Some brokers have been mishandling money for a lot longer than just these downturns. Now that these funds are so far in the red, people that are at retirement age that were put into these bunk funds have lost in two months the money they worked their entire life to build.

Is it time to panic yet? Please, Please, Please. DON'T PANIC. Thankfully, none of us are retiring soon. Much of WHY a stock market crashes is due to widespread panic from investors. Crashes are driven by panic as much as by underlying economic factors (Wikipedia). We do have 25, 30, some even 40 years before we need to cash in on the stocks we have picked out so diligently. I was told when I first got in the business, "Seek out the stable, solid companies. Invest and hold." It remains the same today.

Six months, gone by in a blink. I got Bryce-y boys six-month photos done today by a friend of mine and I cannot believe how big he is getting.

Here is what we are using these days:

Pacifiers- tons and tons of pacifiers. We lose them quite frequently, which is why I am thrilled to be offering pacifier clips. Not just functional, you can put a name on these, and they are a steal at $10 personalized. We have some big sports fans around here, so I would not be surprised if some morning I wake up to a Go USC paci clip.

Swaddling blanket- my son does not really love to be swaddled anymore, but I still adore the weight and stretch of the Ja*lu organic swaddle blanket.

The Perfect Feeder- now that we have started with solids, I love this perfect feeder. Great for carrying around the cereal on one side and the vegetable/fruit on the other.

Baby Legs- for a long time I was not a fan of these for boys. Seeing them on the chubby leggers of my six month old, changed my mind completely. I have the Jack stripe, and it looks so adorable with the tie applique onesie.

Of course, the Wet Happened? wet bag- I have quite the drooler. I have wet outfits all day, and it seems like we have more accidents now than we did with my first son. We honestly use our Wet Happened? bag all the time.

I can't say no. So, when I am asked to make seven baby birdie blankets and 24 custom wet bags in a weekend, all seems fine until I remember that I have accounting, PR work, invoicing, wholesale orders, and customer service issues to deal with as well.

Anyone have any tips on how to 1. delegate and 2. say no? This overworked woman would appreciate it!

Monday, September 1, 2008

I have been asked quite frequently lately if I will be attending the Las Vegas Kids show. Unfortunately, I am not going, but there is a huge part of me that wishes I was. To debut this year would be great to coincide with the Target launch, and keep building the brand. However, a few things guided my decision to sit this one out.

I would consider myself pretty driven, and this business is my third baby, so it is hard to decide to NOT do something that would really grow my business. However, as I often have to remind myself, I started this to be a part of my kid's life. My 3-year-old is starting preschool this year, and I really felt that missing out on that would be something I might not soon forgive myself. God has blessed my business so much thus far, and He will continue to, if that is His plan for my life. Missing out on the first days of school just did not seem right!

I also have an almost five-month-old. Breastfeeding has always been important, and I was a bit worried about the logistic of being at a trade show with one so attached!

So, as most of my friends and colleagues head off to Las Vegas, know I am with you in spirit! Hopefully 2009 will work out better for me to attend.